Thomas Tan
National carmaker Proton Holdings Bhd won top awards at the 18th Cars Of the Year Malaysia Awards Presentation at TPC Kuala Lumpur on 9th January 2020.
The Proton X70 won in the Midsize Crossover & SUVs 5 Seaters category and the Overall Car of the Year 2019. Proton CEO Dr Li ChunRong was also voted the Automotive Man of the Year 2019.
Dr Li ChunRong has in the last four years transformed the company. He pushed the team beyond their comfort zone to become champions, increasing Proton market share to 16.7 % last year. For this transformation, the judges voted Dr Li ChunRong as the Automotive Man of 2019.
19 cars won in their individual categories from the six segments that were defined by the COTY panel of judges from the 125 new cars launched in 2019.
The Car Of The Year (COTY) awards is an annual event organised by Aideah Communication since 2002 to celebrate the best cars of the year as selected by a panel of independent and impartial judges.
The 19 category winners are:
Sedan & Hatchback
1. Entry Level – Proton Saga 1.3 (Facelift)
2. Compact Car – Toyota Yaris
3. Family Sedan/Hatchback – Mazda 3 2.0 sky active High plus
4. Premium Compact Executive – Mercedes-Benz A250
5. Large Family Sedan – Kia Optima GT
6. Premium Executive – BMW 330i M Sport
7. Large Premium Exe Sedan – BMW 530e M Sport (PHEV)
8. C suite – BMW 740L
SUV & Cross Over segment
1. People mover – Perodua Aruz 1.5
2. Compact Crossover & SUVs – Honda HR-V 1.5 Hybrid
3. Midsize crossover & SUVs 5seaters – Proton X70 2WD premium
4. Midsize Crossover & SUVs 7 seater – Santa Fe 2.2 Diesel
5. Premium Midsize SUVs – Porsche Macan
6. Premium Luxury SUVs – MB GLC 63
7. Premium Compact SUV – Volvo XC40 T5
Pick Up Truck Twin Cab Segment
1. Pick up – Ford Ranger XLT+ 4WD 10 speed AT
MPV Segment
1. MPV – Kia Grand Carnival 2.2D (facelift)
Hot Hatch Segment
1. Hot Hatch – Renault Megane RS 280 Cup
Coupe
1. Coupe – BMW M2 Competition
Honourable Mention
Electric Vehicles – Trailblazers for bringing EV into Malaysia. BMW for its i3s and Edaran Tan Chong Motor for its Nissan Leaf.
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